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“Today, it is no longer desirable to undertake educational reforms in piecemeal fashion, without a concept of the totality of the goals and modes of the educational process. To find out how to reshape its component parts, one must have a vision of the whole”. – UNESCO, Learning to Be, The Report of the International Commission on the Development of Education, 1972, p.175.
The National Policy on Education has laid considerable emphasis on value education by highlighting the need to make education a powerful tool for cultivation of social and moral values. Keeping in view the pluralistic base of our society, the education system besides preserving our cultural heritage has also to nurture our youth to be more adaptable to life in the changing environment. An inter-linking of education and culture has also been emphasized in the Programme of Action for implementation of National Policy on Education.
People say that “Values cannot be taught but caught”. Against this belief educationists strongly advocate that values could be taught with sufficient care and caution. The National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in its publication documents on Social, Moral and Spiritual Values in Education (1979, p.56) has drawn up 84 values to be inculcated through education. The cultural values need to be identified for standard curricula all over the country. Respect for the old, care for poor and up-privileged and tolerance should be some of the values. Value based inter-personal relations, importance of racial and religious harmony and concern for humanity should form the basis for friendship and cooperation amongst the people.
Fine arts, music, creative writing, puppetry and theatre are to be given due place in the curricula right from school to the university level. The curriculum should strike a balance between theory and practice. Creative work in fields of music, dance, literature, drama, visual arts is essential to cultivate the inherent tolerance of children. Value/moral education should be thought as a compulsory subject up to the high school level.
It should be made an examinable subject at the school level. Evaluation of value education should be based on compassion, self-reliance, respect and honesty. Language is an importance medium for inculcating, fostering and propagating of moral vales and national cultural heritage. Education through mother tongue needs to be ensured.
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